Credit: African Union /  African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent

By Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC TIMES

The African Union (AU) ended its two months suspension of Mali’s membership in the bloc Friday following the military coup in the  west African nation. The AU suspended Mali in August until restoration of constitutional order and  release of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the Prime Minister and other government officials forcibly detained by the army. The 55-member union exists to promote peace and security on the African continent; the Peace and Security Council is made up of 15 countries.  The AU said Mali can now  fully participate in all AU activities. 

The Peace and Security Council (#AUPSC) has lifted sanctions on #Mali, the Republic of Mali can now fully participate in all @_AfricanUnion activities pic.twitter.com/ZBRQufJWlE

— African Union Peace (@AU_PSD) October 9, 2020

Following the coup, there was a chorus of international condemnation from  the AU,  ECOWAS,  the European Union and the United States demanding that the military leaders release Keita, Prime Minister Boubou Cisse and other officials detained.  The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) lifted  crippling sanctions imposed on Mali this week.  ECOWAS cited the recent appointments of the president and prime minister, among other developments, as reason ending sanctions.  In a statement Wednesday, ECOWAS made note of the nomination of retired Colonel Bah Ndaw as interim president and former Foreign Minister Moctar Ouane as prime minister of the transition that is expected to last 18 months.  Colonel Assimi Goita,  a Malian military officer and the leader of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, (CNSP) a military junta that seized power from former President Keïta , officially holds the post of interim vice president.  While ECOWAS has reportedly had concerns about Goïta’s role, these were apparently mitigated when the CNSP published the transitional charter on 1 October, which limits the vice-president’s responsibilities to defence and security and excludes a provision from an earlier draft of the charter allowing the vice-president to replace the transitional president, according to the ECOWAS announcement.   In lifting sanctions, ECOWAS reiterated demands that the new authorities release all military and civilian personnel still being detained since the coup and dissolve the CNSP. (Keïta was released from detention in late August and travelled to the UAE on 7 September for medical treatment).